This year, those who observe Easter are experiencing a rare occurrence of calendars aligning – Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox Christians are all celebrating on the same day, Sunday, April 20. It is in this spirit of coming together that the Dallas Farmers Market invites you to learn all about the unique cultural traditions of Ukrainian Easter from our long-time vendor Cooking Borscht.

Founded and run by Victoria and Alex Revenko, Cooking Borscht’s mission is to share the many wonderful Borscht recipes with the world without the hassle of making Borscht from scratch. Their dehydrated soup kits are made with local produce that is then cut, portioned, dehydrated, and packaged, uniting the taste of authentic Borscht with ease of preparation. Simply combine the soup mix with your choice of broth, add protein (optional, but highly recommend) and simmer for 30 minutes. That’s it. Top with sour cream and enjoy fresh, delicious soup just like Ukrainian grandmas prepare.

For Easter, Victoria and Alex are offering another delicacy from home – Paska bread. In Ukraine, preparing Paska for Easter is a long labor of love. Ladies begin “the starter” (a mix of warm milk, sugar, flour and yeast) on Wednesday evening, and on Holy Thursday they finish making and baking the bread as it is categorically forbidden to bake on the Friday before Easter.

Victoria fondly remembers her grandmother creating this massive starter on Wednesday with several 15-20 quart pots, allowing space for the starter to rise, and how the pots were everywhere, on every surface in a tiny two-bedroom apartment. Even in the bathroom!

The following day was completely dedicated to baking, filling the air with the scents of vanilla and yeast. Her grandmother made all types of Paska breads: plain, with raisins, farmer’s cheese Paska, chocolate babka, you name it. Victoria’s favorite part was decorating the top with white icing. Their Easter family lunch came with a sacred breaking of Easter bread and a game of Easter eggs, where every member of the family chooses an egg (boiled and decorated) and then “fights” – bumping the noses of the eggs with force to see whose egg cracks first. The winner is the one with the egg still uncracked. Then the Easter lunch would start in earnest with all the traditional tasty items like cured meats and cheeses and salads, but with no regular bread on the table, only Paska bread.

It is her grandma’s recipe that Victoria still uses – a lightly sweet, yeasty vanilla Paska with a slight citrusy touch. And of course, because it’s still her favorite part, decorated with white icing.

This event is the only time of year you can purchase Cooking Borscht’s delicious, homemade Paska bread, so join us in The Shed on Saturday, April 19th, for that treat, then stick around to enjoy performances by the Zorya Ukrainian Dance Ensemble of Dallas from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. on The Shed stage, and to shop the unique Ukrainian goods and hand-made crafts from Ukie Style and other Ukrainian artisans.

Bring the kids for a one-of-a-kind Easter egg Pysanky decorating workshop hosted by the Ukrainian Cultural Club of Dallas, as well as savor a free tasting of homemade carrot cake from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. for our 2 O’clock Tasting, then hop on over to The Shed from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. to visit and take photos with the Easter Bunny.

We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone!